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-- todays trance chord progressions
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compared to 1999-2001 i hardly hear any tracks these days that make me go "wow"... i wonder why...

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Originally posted by DigiNut The format doesn't need to express major/minor. You already know that from the key. If you're in a major key, I is a major chord. If you're in a minor key, it's a minor chord. V in either one is major. IV depends on whether it's the harmonic or melodic minor, but again, this is something you already know. Incidentally, there *is* roman numeral notation for that if one is using chords that aren't normal to the key signature or scale. The 3rd is defined by the case - lowercase is minor, uppercase is major. And the 5th is assumed to be perfect unless given a � (diminished) or + (augmented). Of course the 7th can be in there too, but that makes things a little more complicated and trance music hardly ever uses it anyway. The notation is anything but "vague" - it's been used for several hundred years and hasn't caused any problems so far.

Lol I think I just got told. Thanks actually I learnt something there! I'm really impressed by your music theory Digi! Never caused any problems so far, except to dumb asses like me who don't understand it, you mean!

About sequencers Chrono, yeah I know that sequencers can be used to record live playing, but I'm talking more about the constant revision of tracks over months, in different situations, which I think might be what adds a bit of soul and originality to the music. It's only a theory, I don't actually know. I guess the ideal way to work would be to play straight into a sequencer and just use it as a way to document what you were doing with that song at that time. But then theres always the temptation to fiddle with it and make it better and then you might be tempted to release it.
I'm finding this thread really interesting btw.

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Originally posted by erq I make my music straight from the heart, no matter how bad it is...

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Simply put, I get confused as to what I should make my music sound like, modern trance with its fx and all that crap, or learn from the classics?

So you make music straight from the heart, but you wonder how you should make it sound like?

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Originally posted by Chronosis So you make music straight from the heart, but you wonder how you should make it sound like?

When I say that, I mean I dont make trash, eq it compress it and master it just for money and fame. I do it because I enjoy it, to get things off my mind or to express emotion. Sometimes I hear new trance and want to emulate a certain type of sound or structure because it sounds good to me, or I want to express something through that type of sound. IE: more airy making it calmer, kind of like bg music as opposed to hard banging raw melodies of the 90s.

The thing that holds me back is my inability to recreate sound to make it seem properly eq-d or whatever.

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Originally posted by deceptikon compared to 1999-2001 i hardly hear any tracks these days that make me go "wow"... i wonder why...

that's because today's freshest trance songs rarely use any actual melodies and they often don't use the traditional styles of breakdowns...either the whole track is a giant buildup leading to nothing, or it has a nice buildup, but then right when it breaks down and you expect a crazy second buildup, you dont get much coming. nowadays its mostly about just combining crazy hyped-up hardware-mixed-with-software-vst-hybrid sounds in one track, which gets the focus off of a particular lead sound. im not saying todays trance doesnt use melodies AT ALL anymore (though it is pretty rare)...all im saying is that now there is a bunch more sounds per track for listeners to hear all at the same time...since in the past lead melodies that stood out were the big thing, corresponding accompany chords (the left hand play) had to be in their so the main lead wouldn't sound too boring...and in result, those ended up being pretty sweet tunes with catchy, easily-recognizable melodies

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Originally posted by SuPeRSaW2005 that's because today's freshest trance songs rarely use any actual melodies and they often don't use the traditional styles of breakdowns...either the whole track is a giant buildup leading to nothing, or it has a nice buildup, but then right when it breaks down and you expect a crazy second buildup, you dont get much coming. nowadays its mostly about just combining crazy hyped-up hardware-mixed-with-software-vst-hybrid sounds in one track, which gets the focus off of a particular lead sound. im not saying todays trance doesnt use melodies AT ALL anymore (though it is pretty rare)...all im saying is that now there is a bunch more sounds per track for listeners to hear all at the same time...since in the past lead melodies that stood out were the big thing, corresponding accompany chords (the left hand play) had to be in their so the main lead wouldn't sound too boring...and in result, those ended up being pretty sweet tunes with catchy, easily-recognizable melodies

Couldnt have put it better myself. I'll just wait for this hydrid-sound era to pass, so I can produce nice melodies and itll be up to date

i eagerly anticipate the return of massive melodies guys!!!!!

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Originally posted by erq Couldnt have put it better myself. I'll just wait for this hydrid-sound era to pass, so I can produce nice melodies and itll be up to date

But couldn't you take part of the passing of this era with your own effort? Would it pass is everyone would think like you, and not make tracks that doesn't sound "up to date"?

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Originally posted by Chronosis But couldn't you take part of the passing of this era with your own effort? Would it pass is everyone would think like you, and not make tracks that doesn't sound "up to date"?

Im trying

rather than make a new thread i thought id ask this in here.

you can achieve uplifting through the basic I ,IV ,V chord progression right?

but youll need something a bit more interesting for progressive and dark trance right?

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Originally posted by crazedonee but youll need something a bit more interesting for progressive and dark trance right?

I don't think that's a defition for any genre. And why can't a melody be uplifting + interesting?

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I don't think that's a defition for any genre. And why can't a melody be uplifting + interesting?

what im saying is these typical progressions would not really suit some trance like below.


i - iv - V - i
i - VI - iv - V - i

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Originally posted by kitphillips Never caused any problems so far, except to dumb asses like me who don't understand it, you mean!

No need to read so far into it, I didn't say you were dumb - just missing a few bits of information that I thought I'd fill in.

Being corrected has never phased me personally, so I guess I don't expect it to phase anyone else. Regardless, it certainly wasn't meant as an insult, so I'm sorry if that's how it came across.

Nah Digi no worries, just joking. Glad you did fill me in, That stuff's often useful, I should have actually tried to know what I was talking about first tho!

I personally never worry about being up to date. A lot of music goes in cycles anyway, so I just try and do what I like.

Just out of intrest does anyone else not have a clue about chords ect? As far as I know a chord is just 3 notes played together?

Despite this melodys is my strongest point and I achive that by just playing away? Some of you must do this as well?

i no shit all about music theory. i just hit the keys adn if they sound good they get kept.

i no which keys are in tune but thats it.

Same here, Im soo rusty in music theory. All I know is major and minor and what key theyre in.

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Originally posted by Jason_R Just out of intrest does anyone else not have a clue about chords ect? As far as I know a chord is just 3 notes played together? Despite this melodys is my strongest point and I achive that by just playing away? Some of you must do this as well?

A chord isn't necessarily just 3 notes (maybe you're thinking of a triad). It's more than 2 notes, but there's no upper bound. They also don't technically have to be played together; they can be formed with arpeggios or similar constructs.

Having a good melody is important but it's nothing without harmony to accompany it, and the chord progression is essentially the same as the harmonic progression. Lots of us just bang out a melody sometimes (myself included) - understanding chords and theory will help immensely in creating the harmony and reducing the amount of experimentation you need to do. It'll also help if you want to work the other way and, for example, hammer out a melody from a bassline.

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Originally posted by dj_kane i no shit all about music theory. i just hit the keys adn if they sound good they get kept. i no which keys are in tune but thats it.

Well I do basically the same and I can write in notation. I prefer to write on feel than to score a song on paper and I understand it better in terms of the sound of it, not what scale it is based on. Theory is nice to know sure - but trance isn't exactly complicated, harmonically speaking.

When I write tunes I do so on guitar because I've been playing it way longer than keyboard (8 years on guitar) so compositition on the old axe always sounds more natural and more expressive because...well...I can play guitar. Whereas I suck at playing keyboard. I think the point is that its important to write music using an instrument that you can play well. Not to say you can't just sequence everything because people can and do. Or that you can play guitar or keyboard without knowing any theory at all. Because people can and do that as well. But it doesn't hurt to do your homework.

All the talk of scales is just a peeve of mine because scales and chords you can learn to ace by doing your grades 1 through to 8. Nobody listens to music so they can hear pick n mix with scales and chords. If you do then fuck. Must be a real hit with the girls eh?

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